The question is: WHY?

As I was passing the paper section at the Stop and Shop supermarket, I could not help but notice this product.  Everybody uses, or should use, toilet paper.  Not many people like it to resemble sandpaper on a roll and expect some modicum of softness, especially in America.  But quilted?  Were there people out there who were clamoring for the feeling that one gets when you use the drapes or bedspread for personal hygiene?  Talk about a variation on the Scarlet O'Hara theme.  And, it's 3- ply.

We have one of those water saving toilets that you have to flush 3 times for number 2.  Or is it 2 times for number 1?  Is there a number 3?.  We are worried about government in the bedroom, what about government in the bathroom?  And on top of that, you can't see what you're doing under the light of a 12 watt fluorescent CFC bulb.  Maybe that's why you need three plies, in case you overshoot your target.  It used to be so easy.


  

The POWERFUL Dieases

No, not powerful as in “these will kill you in 24 hours” I mean powerful as in “we are on the receiving end of more charity and governmental dollars than the other guys” kind of power. The Big Kahunas of disease are of course Breast cancer, Alzheimer’s, AIDS, and Autism, I shall deal with these one at a time.

Breast cancer is a terrible disease that almost exclusively attacks women.  I love the women in my life and I would never want them to get this disease and if they did, I would want them to be cured.  Their ribbon is pink. The “CURE”  is dependent upon money for research etc.  Prostate cancer kills almost as many men as Breast cancer kills women and is more prevalent, but nowhere near as sexy. There is no Prostate cancer month and the government spends about half as much on prostate cancer as it does breast cancer.    Plus, what color would the ribbon be, if there were one, brown? You wouldn't dream of telling women they should not get screening tests but men...take you time, what's the hurry?  

Cancer sucks, and contributing for research to overcome this group of diseases is a worthwhile endeavor. Oncologists are driven or drive themselves (never ask a barber if you need a haircut) to treat patients way too long and for cases that they know are hopeless from day one.  There is a joke, if that is ever appropriate in cancer, that goes…”Why do they put nails in coffins?  To keep the oncologists away.” The American Cancer Society works hand in hand with cancer doctors and as the song goes “seldom is heard a discouraging word” when it comes to chemotherapy until the final day. As a doctor, I think we owe patients the truth not a bunch of "where there's life there's hope."  

AIDS "victims" keep looking for a cure as if it is some kind of mystery where the disease comes from.  If I had a disease that came from doing carpentry, for example, I sure as Hell would give away my hammer. I would start with prevention. And not accepting any kind of sexual rampage is OK.  To add to it, the disease did not get the benefit of epidemiology and quarantine when it first started because it was re-classified as a "disability." Our friend "reclassification."   

The psychiatric profession used to classify Homosexuality, among other things, as a disorder but some time ago they voted to reclassify it as a choice. They update a guide book to psychiatric disorders based upon their latest meeting.    It would be as if we could reclassify Hepatitis as a decision to turn yellow and therefore reduce the number of cases. OR, we could increase other conditions by the same method.  That’s what they did with Alzheimers and Autism.  They are two serious disease and when they are full blown versions they are devastating.  Unfortunately, the specialists in those area have “discovered” (read: redefined) a spectrum of Autism that includes all sorts of learning disabilities, with once distinct names, once they found out there was virtually unlimited funding for Autism and charities there were few charities for lesser neurological or developmental disorders. 

It seems that the Alzheimer’s folks have discovered this pot of gold as well. Even in the absence of any hard laboratory tests or “biomarkers” (high blood sugar in diabetes or high cholesterol in cardiovascular disease are examples of biomarkers)  or reliable physical findings of pre-clinical or pre-symptomatic disease. There are no markers that doctors can use now to establish the early diagnosis but the National Institute on Aging is working overtime on it.  So, the  “pre-symptomatic” diagnosis would be “seat of the pants” by its very nature.     

I have recently been asked how a person would know if he was just having a “Senior Moment” or being forgetful vs. whether they were getting Alzheimer’s.  The pre-clinical stage is a SWAG (scientific wild-ass guess).  This is when we think we might be getting it because we can’t find our keys for the 5^th time this week, or this day.  Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) is a clinical diagnosis based upon a group of observations and history. There is NO certainty just a probability.   In Dementia due to Alzheimer’s Disease, memory, thinking, and behavior changes are classic.  Specialized scans and spinal fluid analysis can affirm the diagnosis but most well trained doctors believe (as Justice Learned Hand said about when he could not precisely define pornography) ”I know it when I see it.”  The answer to everything in this field is “MORE RESEARCH” with all that entails.  In the mean time, live a cleaner healthier life which has been considered a reasonable preventive measure, and don’t worry, be happy. 

Why should I care about Nelson Mandela?

Nelson Mandela was born in South Africa in 1918 which makes him about 94 years old this year.  He has been very sick lately and by some reports might even be on life support. He has been in the news a lot this week, possibly because our president, who has African roots, will be visiting that continent at a cost to American taxpayers of about $100 million (not counting  Billions in foreign aid which will likely follow).  Not a small amount. Just think of the income taxes you paid last year and see how far this “big number to you” goes toward making your country a better place when L. L Cool Prez blows a hundred mil on his summer vacation at taxpayer expense.  Martha's Vineyard is so much cheaper (you don't hear that often).  

Why should you or anyone else care about Nelson Mandela other than as a curiosity, like you would any historic or biographic figure? Like Che’ Guevara?  I really don’t know.  My life is no better as a result of his time on this planet.  I tried to think of ways it might be but I came up empty. I couldn’t find a solid reason to care any more about him than I cared about,  say…Kurt Cobain.    Mandela was President of South Africa, not the one I grew up learning about in high school but the other one, the post-apartheid one with the violence and crime. 

In fact, the whole damn thing seems pretty inconsistent.  Here in America we are supposed to be all enthusiastic about TSA and Homeland Security and be anxious to line up to be frisked and have our phone calls and e-mails monitored for the good of all.  We are taught obedience to our flag and to our government and respect for the National Anthem.  Violently opposing the American Government, could be considered an act of treason.  Yet, in South Africa, Mandela was arrested, convicted of sabotage and imprisoned for 27 years, where he became the symbol for government oppression.  There were good reasons to call him a terrorist and he was aligned with anti-government interests.  Like our President, Mandela won the Nobel Peace Prize, but I can't tell why for sure. I still don’t get why Mr. Obama won it, he had yet to do anything significant at the time of its awarding, 15 milliseconds after his election.  Some would say he still has not.  Maybe the whole prize is just a popularity contest where leftists get to cast all the votes. 

Anyway, I love my country and wouldn’t want some rabble-rouser overthrowing the government and changing the whole country to fit a new model, which is what happened in South Africa.  So, it comes around again to “Why do I care about this guy?” I don't and I wonder why the press is so invested in this story.  They like big government more than most people do and Mandela's life work was overthrowing one.  Just rebellion?  Unjust?  Who is the judge of that? 

LIME GREEN POLYESTER LEISURE SUIT

When we charge out to the store to buy the latest fashion, the platform pole-dancer shoes, or whatever Vogue tells us we won't look good without, think back to those days in our past when we were absolutely sure we were "TOO COOL FOR SCHOOL" wearing items such as these, complete with the hair style, belt, and wide collar.  More often than not the shirt was silk or rayon with a gaudy floral pattern.  The car in the photo was a 1970 Mercedes so it was taken sometime in the mid to late 70s.

Do what you love, Love what you do

If this chart looks interesting to you for reasons other than you convince yourself that you "might" make some money by knowing how to trade stocks, then go for it.  Personally, it puts me to sleep.  I have tried to do fundamental and technical analysis of stocks for a while.  It is not ME.  I enjoy investing in its many forms and have done so for decades, and there are opportunities for creativity in real estate, stocks, or whatever.  Equity trading and the more "sane" longer term investing, can go right to the core of those who are good at it.  It is in harmony with their spirit and they follow the axiom that I have used as the title to this post. In an attempt to be a partner and friend with someone who is very gifted at this and loves it, I bought the books, took the courses, and executed trades.  I am not without skills and  have made some money.  I would rather trim hedges than be a hedge fund manager. I will have to be true to myself and do something I love more than "charts."   

I have a portfolio manager who is doing exactly what he loves to do, and he has helped me, his client "Don't worry, make money".  If I were to study the subject for 1000 years, considering I don't much love it, I will never know as much useful stuff as he knows.  There is no substitute for mastery and the 10,000 hours needed to get it. And, if I ever get tired of trying to "Seek Alpha" (get better than market returns) with a manager, there are always Index Funds like Vanguard Total Market Index that ride the total ups and downs of the DOW, NASDAQ, S and P, etc.  Over a lifetime, that is a generally good idea since the Dow, for example,  is now at 15,000., and it was in the hundreds during my lifetime. 

Anyway, this post is about doing what you love and not talking yourself into doing something because it is good for you, like Broccoli,  or what Society thinks is acceptable and the "high ground" more traveled.  We only get one life to live and to spend it doing what you don't love for some secondary gain like trading your life for money does not seem to be a good idea.  Even the bible had something to say about this..."What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and suffer the loss of his immortal soul?" 

WISDOM 2013

Years ago Simon and Garfunkel wrote and sang that "The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls, and tenement halls."  Today, the greatest wisdom and stupidity can be found on T-shirts and bumper stickers.  Examples of these include the ubiquitous "YES WE DID" implying that the driver of the car ahead of you, who obviously has not figured out life based on their obvious circumstances, is joyous over another four years of messianic rule by the great provider of free cell phones, unemployment insurance for 99 weeks, and more welfare than you can shake a stick at.  All this high-fiveing celebrates the preservation of the status quo for the aforementioned driver and her smoke-belching Toyhonkiazuki. Thank God there is also a "Save the Environment" sticker on the bumper or a person could assume that she did not care.

Every opinion possible can be found on the bumper of a car in front of you if you are stuck in traffic enough.  Once you exit your car you have to rely upon T-shirt wisdom.  Some of it is simple and quick to read like a giant Polo Pony with the words POLO in 8" high letters.  It means " bigger is always better and I have no taste."  Or "CHOICE" as in "Biatch, we all wish your mother had made a different one."  The T-shirt pictured above says a lot but it is too wordy to be read on a quick walk-by.  Maybe if it were on the back of the shirt, the fashion equivalent of a bumper sticker one could get through all the words.  Then again if some Sofia Vergara-esque woman were wearing it facing front, the words might be bigger and easier to read and most men would not mind struggling with the wordiness to get the message.   Go ahead, call the P C Police...see if I care.

HE'S the MANN

No, that is not a typo or a misspelling of "man."  I went to high school in the 50s and 60s, not today in America so I actually received an education.  I did however not have the benefit of attending a class called "Heather Has Two Mommies"  like our modern secondary school students have. To get an award, I actually had to do something special or, excuse the expression, "win."  This postage stamp honors Horace Mann, who is considered by most historians to be the founder of compulsory government sponsored secular education in the United States.  As the expression goes, he must be spinning in his grave over the wreckage of K-12 in 2013.

Even back over a decade ago, student-athletes in senior high school would come to my office where they were asked to fill out a brief questionnaire about their vital statistics, and health history.  These must have been very difficult questions, things like "Where were you born and on what date?" seemed to baffle them.  It was apparent that their reading skills were at a first grade level yet they managed to get into the 12th grade and were on the cusp of graduation.  Someone in Florida state government came up with the "radical' idea of statewide testing to assess schools to see if local schools and teachers were preparing their students  to enter the world, the job market, or go on to higher education.  You would have thought they wanted to do body cavity searches on all the teachers.  "OMG. I am going to have to teach to a state standard? I will be judged by others and  have to follow some master plan?"  The outcry from the teacher's unions was deafening.  "Imagine trying to impose a one size fits all model on our students.  Well, I never."

Accountability is a bitch. When I grew up in New York in the Paleolithic era, We had a course curriculum in EVERY course with a final exam that came from the Board of Regents.  Surprisingly these tests were called the "Regent's" tests.  If you did not pass that test you did not pass the course no matter how much the teacher liked you or how well you did in his or her exams.  We had a near 100% graduation rate, no shootings in class, there might have been one pregnancy (we are not sure but Ellen went away to live with her grandmother for a year), and everyone went on to military service or employment, or further education at some level of college or vocational school.  If you failed, you were an outcast. Everyone DID NOT get a trophy for showing up.

Horace Mann was born in 1796 in Massachusetts.  He was a farmer, a legislator and a lawyer.  He went on to run the Massachusetts Board of Education and a national spokesman for how important public education would be for the future of our country. He modeled our education after the Prussian (German) system.  "Character development was just as important as reading, writing and arithmetic. Obedience to authority, promptness in attendance, and organizing the time according to bell ringing helped students prepare for future employment."

Fast forward to 2013 and we see that the K-12 system no longer cares about character development in the traditional sense but does spend a disproportionate time teaching about cultural diversity, sex education, and Liberal politics.  Our graduation rates are abysmal, as low as 50% in some major cities, even though it costs $15,000 per student per year to support one child in public school in places like New York City. Nothing new has happened in education that has made us more competitive in the world.  We spend so much time worrying about the sensibilities of our students and building self esteem in those who think they deserve it for "Showing up" that there is little time for Readin', Writin' and 'Rithmatic." Everyone does have a computer or an iPad and we have  gaggles of graduates ready for employment, as long as they start in management where their teachers have told them they deserve to be because they "showed up" and the only job skills required are the ability to play video games and spend all day on social media.